Our experts compose from multi-discipline background with vast experiences in sustainability issues 

Giant company or corporation’s stronger power and influence in many aspects of people’s life, within this globalization era, is an empirical facts. With that come also both negative and positive impacts No one to deny that corporation has also given contribution to economic growth, improved human resources and others. Yet the negative impacts are also in the same scale. Environmental damage, poverty, process of impoverishment and marginalization of vulnerable groups, widening economic gap and its influence on an undemocratic political process at various government levels are only part of those negative impacts.

Many critics and/or solution have been proposed to overcome those negative impacts. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is part of the solution steps that has been implemented globally for the last 20 years, on various performance levels. In Indonesia, currently CSR could be described as potential, yet at the same time worrysome. Potential due to many positive indications, such as: the conduct of PROPER by State Ministry of Environment, CSR Awards, BUMN (State Owned Enterprise) Forum for community development (comdev), increased numbers of company’s organizations promoting CSR, growing seminar and training on CSR along with the forming o division/department responsible to manage CSR at many companies, especially corporation. Small scale companies have also started to mirror this tendency.

On the other side, many of government’s economic – politic policies are not conducive to enforce a social and environmental friendly investment. Cosmetic type CSR’s implementation are often found. Considering those pictures, it is reasonable for Melody Kemp couple years ago to predict the Indonesian’s implementation of CSR as a bit pessimistic.  Meantime, some of CSOs show resistance towards CSR concept which they perceived as the neo-liberal’s 'Trojan Horse'.

Nevertheless, CSR will keep on growing in the coming years. Not as many other business concept, CSR clearly is a flexible concept and will keep growing due to normative demands of all stakeholders. CSR is a certainty since the demand to implement this comes from various parties and levels, from MNC’s headquarters, policy’s interpretation, companies in Indonesia, government policies, and even demand from many CSO monitoring company’s actions.

To address this kind of tendency, A+ CSR Indonesia comes as a social enterprise comprising various professional expertise on issues around CSR. With that, many problems during the implementation of CSR could be found precisely and opportunities on how to correct and rectify those problems could be recommended. Other than that A+ also combines similar expertise to improve a substantial CSR concept, to enable general public in distinguishing with the concept used outside sustainability development

The story of A+ CSR Indonesia is about a group of young people with various background (consultant, professional at MNC, and researcher) who are apprehensive towards the concepts on economic development, social welfare and environmental balance in Indonesia during 2000’s. Some are friends during childhood and teenage days, some became friends during college days, and some finally decided to join due to common interest and occupation.

At the same time, corporate social responsibility or what known as CSR (an concept in doing business) arose worldwide started to sprout in this country. This group of confused people, where in fact they daily deal with community development concept and practice, social research, and even security and business intelligence, directly became devotees and connoisseurs of this concept, part of very small beginners in Indonesia.ethic

Books, journals, articles, and any information on CSR were searched, collected, studied and researched, and discussed. At first, it was just like defining an unknown gigantic thing in the dark. Just by feeling and guessing. This stubbornness and audacity have always become a powerful mantra. Within a couple of years, this previously faint thing has become easily comprehended, materialized, and even implemented.